Dishes

[Sinenox]

I'm a poor college student living with friends in an apartment and trying to share a kitchen. I remember reading on here a time ago that it's necessary to use a dishwasher if you have one and you're sharing dishes. Does anyone know what the reasoning for this is? I ask because recently my room mates have decided that it's easier just to hand wash dishes and though I think that's a lot more likely to be unsanitary they insist it's the same thing, and that since our washer is sub-par it might even be better. I've been glutened for about two and a half straight weeks now and I'm in a lot of pain and very upset about the entire situation in general. I think that I have another allergy but I'm not sure how to track it down. I've bought some of my own dishes and things when it's possible but I'm running on a tight budget. In sum my questions are:

1. Should I just let the hand-washed dishes thing go? Am I overreacting? Is there reason to believe it would be any different since a machine doesn't technically sanitize them anyway?

2. Does anyone know of a particular method for eliminating things from your diet that are difficult to avoid, like soy? Is there some kind of reference I could use to find the offending chemical(s)?

That would be most helpful. Thanks in advance!

[Kaycee]

Sinenox,

We don't have a dishwasher at home and all dishes are done by hand.

We have a dishwasher at work, and that is where I strike problems. One day, my coffee cup came back with a noodle on it after being through the dishwasher. I don't know if dishwashers are more sanitary, but there is always a chance things will be washed with gluten on them along with your cups and plates.

I have no problems with washing by hand. Maybe you could be responsible for your own dishes washing by hand, and that way you will know for sure they will be clean and have no gluten on them. I seem to gluten myself more at work, and because of that I rinse the cups that I will use before I put coffee in them etc.

It is a tricky one.

Best of luck.

Cathy

[blueeyedmanda]

I don't know if this is an option, but is there a way you can all pitch in for plastic dishes/utensils?

We use both the dishwasher and hand washing in my house. My fiance doesn't eat gluten free like I do so I made him rinse his plates very well before putting them in the dishwasher. This has been working very well for me and I have not had any ill effects.

[ArtGirl]

You might want to wash your own dishes with your own personal dish rag. Sponges hold all kinds of foods and bacteria and are not recommended for the kitchen, especially if it's come in contact with gluten.

We don't have a dishwasher and all dishes are washed by hand. We first rinse all the food off the dishes with a brush, then wash with a soapy rag. After the dinner dishes are washed, the dish rag is retired and a new one is used the next day. I would never use a dish rag that has come in contact with gluten foods or has wiped down the counter, but will get a clean one. (I go through a lot of dish rags in one week!)

You also might want to invest in a large plastic or glass cutting board to use to prepare your food on so your food doesn't touch the counter.

Don't use any non-stick pans or plastic colanders that have had gluten foods in them, and be sure to pre-wash any metal pans that you all share - before you cook your gluten-free food in them.

I think sharing a kitchen with gluten eaters can be done, but it takes diligence on your part and a good deal of cooperation on the part of the others to contain their crumbs, etc.

Oh, yes, and don't forget to keep the cupboard door and drawer handles washed down and especially the refrigerator handles. Do you all share one coffee pot? That could also get contaminated (the handle, I mean). You'll have to be sure you wash your hands before touching any of your foods.

Just remembered another kitchen thing that can easily cause contamination - the hot pot holders. You probably need to have your own set of these, too.

Good luck.

[larry mac]

.....Don't use any non-stick pans or plastic colanders that have had gluten foods in them...... Good luck.

Hey artgirl,

How come gluten sticks to non-stick pans? What's up with that? Sounds like a scam doesn't it?

best regards, lm

[Mtndog]

Dishwashers (contrary to the beliefs of some of my family ) do NOT remove gluten. They may be more sanitary but I still wash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. With my hubby and I (he does eat some gluten- but not a lot) I bought seperate pots and pans. They're red. So, he knows that anything red (you could even just mark pans with a red Sharpie) means do NOT cook gluten in this. You can get inexpensive cookware at places like Ross, TJ maxx, Marshall's etc. Same with spatuals and colanders.

My mom always swore by the dish rag thing too....because you can throw them in the washer and they don't hold bacteria like sponges.

As far as trying to find ouut what else is bothering you, what helped me most was starting with what I knew was safe for me (really basic- rice, meat, veggies) and gradually adding things back in while keeping a food journal. The journal was my savior...I would also write down when I started using a new shampoo or moisturizer. Anything I hadn't used before. It helped a lot.

Most of the time, the major problems along with gluten are soy and dairy. I can't eat ANY legumes at all (peanuts, soy, most beans, chickpeas).

Being gluten-free in college and a shared apartment situation is really hard. I hope you figure it out so you can feel better soon.

[kbtoyssni]

Hey artgirl,

How come gluten sticks to non-stick pans? What's up with that? Sounds like a scam doesn't it?

best regards, lm

Non-stick pans have a coating that is very easy to scratch which would allow the gluten to get caught in the scratches. I have some non-stick pans, and I'm amazed at how beat-up they look compared to my regular pans.

About the dishwasher:

I don't think that using a dishwasher is necessary. BUT, people are correct that gluten gets trapped in washcloth/sponges. I will not use the sponge at work - I use my fingers instead. I don't know how clean your roomies are, but when I was in college the kitchen was a mess. Clean was a relative term. I'd be inclined to get some cheap plastic plates just for you. You can usually get these at Target or similar stores for a dollar or two. If you are the only one who uses them and you wash them youself with your own cloth, you should be ok. OR - if you have mismatched plates (as most college houses do!), you could claim a few of them as yours and ask the roomies not to use those ones.

Other intolerances is a tricky one. I know the best thing to do is an elimination diet. That said I hate food journals more than anything so my elimination diet attempts usually don't go so well.

[gfp]

You might want to wash your own dishes with your own personal dish rag. Sponges hold all kinds of foods and bacteria and are not recommended for the kitchen, especially if it's come in contact with gluten.

We don't have a dishwasher and all dishes are washed by hand. We first rinse all the food off the dishes with a brush, then wash with a soapy rag. After the dinner dishes are washed, the dish rag is retired and a new one is used the next day. I would never use a dish rag that has come in contact with gluten foods or has wiped down the counter, but will get a clean one. (I go through a lot of dish rags in one week!)

You also might want to invest in a large plastic or glass cutting board to use to prepare your food on so your food doesn't touch the counter.

Don't use any non-stick pans or plastic colanders that have had gluten foods in them, and be sure to pre-wash any metal pans that you all share - before you cook your gluten-free food in them.

I think sharing a kitchen with gluten eaters can be done, but it takes diligence on your part and a good deal of cooperation on the part of the others to contain their crumbs, etc.

Oh, yes, and don't forget to keep the cupboard door and drawer handles washed down and especially the refrigerator handles. Do you all share one coffee pot? That could also get contaminated (the handle, I mean). You'll have to be sure you wash your hands before touching any of your foods.

Just remembered another kitchen thing that can easily cause contamination - the hot pot holders. You probably need to have your own set of these, too.

Good luck.

This is all good advice.

Seriously, I don't think dishwashers are safer in general. I know my dishwasher doesn't get rid of EVERYTHING, it has a problem with coffee grounds or tea leaves for instance. It mostly gets rid oif them but far from completely... and because they are almost black they are very easy to see.

I think its of value here to examine how gluten is made industrially... by far the most common process is you take wheat flour and wash it and what remains is the gluten, a glue like transparent (difficult to see smeared over utensils)thing.

The more "efficient" way is its washed in a alkali which helps wash away the starches and keeps the gluten... and this is exactly what you are putting into your dishwasher... an alkali (usually potassium hydroxide)

In conclusion I don't wash stuff in the dishwasher that has not been already handwashed....

Gluten is basically a glue, its going to be the last thing washed away and its going to attach to something else if it gets a chance.

My girlfriend has her stash of corn flakes whioch are marginal gluten anyway (horedin wash of barley malt) and at least that gluten is already mobile... but we still don't put the dishes into the dishwasher.

What I do is buy the really big (1' wide) rolls of kitchen/utility paper from our equivalent of KMart... and also Johnson do some very cheap rags that come in a tube type arrangement (you pull them out and they are attached with a perforation, a bit like baby wipes etc.) They are used once and then thrown away or used on the floor then thrown away....

I bought seperate pots and pans. They're red. So, he knows that anything red (you could even just mark pans with a red Sharpie) means do NOT cook gluten in this.

Yep the bigger and bolder the better....

However, this leads me to the second thing....

By far the most important thing is going to be to get support from the peoople you share with.

I don't mean they nod and say uh-huy ... they have to realise that a tiny speck of gluten will make you ill.

If you continue to share pans and plates the chance is you will keep being ill. This is even more likely in shared accomadation because people are doing their own thing, not everyone knows what everyone else is cooking all the time etc.

My experience and I think that of many here is trying to convonce people who knew you before diagnosis is REALLY HARD... even best friends and close family members. They are not being nasty, mostly they think you have gone cookoo and fallen for some strange sect... and gone completely over the top ... people find it very hard when you have eaten gluten all your life and suddenly you can't. (especially since because symptoms wise we tend to not tell people due to the nature of the symptoms)

I have friends who keep saying how much better I look and how happier I am yet still think the gluten thing is ... a bit much. On the other hand people you meet AFTER never know the pizza eating, pasta munching bread lover ... and seem to have far less problems accepting.

[Nic]

If you don't feel comfortable letting your roommates wash your dishes then maybe just buy your own plate, bowl, and cup. Label them as yours and make sure everyone knows they are off limits to them and then wash them seperately. I use both a dish washer or I hand wash depending on how many dishes I have and my son never has been glutened this way.

Nicole

[GlutenWrangler]

Sinenox,

I've also been glutened for over two weeks straight, so I know what you're going through. I finally figured out that I was using a pan with gluten on it. I don't think that using a dishwasher is better. I always have to put in gluten dishes with my dishes, so what I do every night is wash the same load of dishes 3 times. That's 6 hours of washing, and it still doesn't get rid of all the gluten. If it did, I wouldn't be so miserably sick right now. It seems like the only way to avoid getting glutened is to keep a gluten-free home, apartment, dorm, etc. Or use all plastic plates and utensils, and make sure you are the only one who washes your cookware. Hope you feel better,

-Brian

[Sinenox]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. It means a lot to me. I've been avoiding the inevitable I think - sometime this week I'll go out and get new dishes and new pans that are all recognizably mine, and then I'll wash them all myself as well and be sure nothing is set atop them. It seems that a food journal is impossible to avoid as well. Thanks for all of your input and support!